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The Scariest Airports to Fly Into

Flying might be one of the safest modes of transportation, but you must admit—landing at one of these airports will make even the most confident flier grip the arm rest.

Courchevel Airport

Located in the chic French ski town of Courchevel, this airport has an uphill runway that measures just 1,722 feet. On the other side of the runway? A vertical drop—off the side of an Alp. (Don't worry though; only private planes make landings at CVF, so unless you're a member of the ultra-luxe jet set, it's doubtful you'll be flying here anytime soon.)

Princess Juliana International Airport

St. Maarten's short runway means that planes fly extremely low over the adjacent Maho Beach as they descend. The noise and wind is so scary that adrenaline junkies make a point of lining up at the fence adjacent to Runway 10 to see if they can withstand it. It's not a particularly safe thing to try.

Madeira Airport

Madeira Island's Funchal Airport has water on one side and hills on the other, making for a difficult approach. In 2000, the airport's runway was extended even further into Atlantic Ocean in order to accommodate larger jets.

Barra Airport

Barra Airport holds the title as the only airport in the world where planes land on the beach. The airport disappears once the tide comes in from Traigh Mhòr bay, and given that it's naturally lit, car headlights provide additionally lighting in the case of decreased visibility.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport

At the southern end of Lukla's 1,500-foot airstrip, the ground drops 2,000 feet into a valley. Accidents are, unfortunately, common here with four crashes within the past five years.

Kai Tak Airport

Hong Kong's now-defunct Kai Tak Airport forced jets to fly through high-rise buildings in order to land. Before its closing in 1998, planes would sometimes overrun the landing strip and crash into the adjacent harbor.

Gibraltar International Airport

Gibraltar's airport is the only one in the world that has a road running through the middle of it. Yes, traffic on Winston Churchill Avenue pauses when a plane takes off or lands. (Let's make no mention of the runaway jutting out into harbor.)

John F. Kennedy International Airport

Believe it or not, one of the world's busiest airports is also home to one of the most nerve-racking runways. The approach JFK's runway 13L gives pilots little room for mistakes—the waters of Jamaica Bay surround the runaway and the airport's required circular flight pattern affords only five miles of visibility for incoming planes. But the views of the city as you land—totally worth the momentary scare.

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

Surrounded by steep hills on one side and cliffs on the other, this Caribbean island's only airport is also one of the world's most terrifying. The high possibility of overshooting the runway means that a plane can easily end up in the ocean.

Sandane Airport, Anda

Located on rugged mountainous terrain, this remote Norwegian airport is also nestled between two fjords, making for a tricky approach.

Paro Airport

Bhutan's only international airport is an exclusive one—only eight pilots are qualified to land planes here. Surrounded by 18,000-foot peaks and lush greenery, Paro has breathtaking scenery, but judging from this landing video, you might be too scared to look.